100 Reasons to Eat and Drink Downtown Today (and Tomorrow, and the Day After That)

Last week, we did a lot of reporting on restaurants operating in the dark, doing whatever they could to provide light and food to those who needed it. We checked in on our review restaurants, both of which happened to be in blackout zones, and found one had stayed open all week, while the other flooded. Now that power is back in Manhattan, it might seem like things are back to normal for downtown.

Well, they're not.

Downtown restaurants of all stripes -- from little dumpling joints and food stands to fine dining rooms -- need you right now. Employees have lost wages, kitchens have lost their inventory, and restaurants need customers to help jump start business again. If you like to eat and drink, if you value New York City's rich, diverse, resilient restaurant culture, go out for dinner! Hell, go out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Spend what you can where you can, and tip generously.

Still need a little persuading? Here are 100 reasons to eat downtown from the Fork team, just to get you started. And, of course, it's only a snapshot of downtown's deliciousness -- tell us about your favorites in the comments (or on Twitter @forkintheroadvv).

Masak. Because it's not every day you find a spicy crab dip with mantou to write home about.